Composting can be pursued at many different levels, from the gardener who likes to produce "black gold" to the operator of a multi-acre commercial composting facility. Gardeners who compost their own landscaping and food scraps can follow a few simple rules of thumb and needn't worry about complex formulas, chemical equations, or studies of microorganisms. These are, however, important considerations for municipal and commercial composting operations because of the need to ensure that the composting proceeds rapidly, doesn't cause odor or pest problems, and achieves temperatures high enough to kill pathogens.